"how is it out there?" jean asked, not looking up from her desk as veritas slipped in through the door.
"well... everybody's still a little on edge, as expected, but... i think if we aren't disturbed again, we should be back to normal in just a few days."
"hm," jean tapped her foot on the wooden flooring of the office. "sounds like wishful thinking to me, don't you agree? that we won't be disturbed again. it's a big if, captain."
"yes, i know," veritas sighed, taking a seat at the table to the right of jean's desk, where papers were sprawled all over. she did have a desk, and an office, but she didn't enjoy working alone. she'd much rather be in someone else's company as often as possible. "but... it's something."
"i hate to be a glass half empty person, captain," jean confided, "but i think this may just be the beginning."
"i think so too," veritas sighed, shuffling the papers on her desk, "we can't let the people know this, though. the stormterror threat has been quelled."
"quelled," jean echoed under her breath, fiddling with the pen in her hand. "yes... you're right. but-"
a thump sounded at the window of the office. jean and veritas' snapped their necks around to see a disoriented-looking pigeon sliding slowly down the glass panes. behind it, the skies were grey and angry and the two women could hear the distant howling of the wind.
"it's happening," jean sighed hopelessly. veritas rose from the table, scraping her chair sharply along the floor, and leaving the room without a word.
-
"madam!" a knight cried from behind veritas as she battled the howling winds, her hair being dragged violently into her face and eyes. "i highly suggest you stay inside! stormterror has returned. it's not safe out here for a lady like you..."
the knight's eyes widened as veritas turned with a scowl on her face, her eyes narrowed challengingly.
"cap-captain veritas! it's you! please forgive me, captain, i- visibility is, uh, limited, you see, and-" he stammered.
"don't you have a city to protect, knight?" veritas folded her arms impatiently. "you can apologise by chasing away that," she barely flinched as the mighty dragon swooped over her head, a little too close for comfort, screeching over the whistling wind.
tornadoes formed and swirled from the concrete paths, chasing away the remaining citizens in the fountain plaza below into the comfort and safety of their homes.
the knight stumbled back in fear at the sight of the dragon and fell back on one of the steps leading to the knights of favonius headquarters, landing hard on his armoured behind.
"yes, captain! i'll-" he panicked to scramble back onto his feet, standing to attention, but veritas was already gone.
the knight huffed in confusion and drew his sword from his belt, running to find the rest of the knights.
-
"excuse me! ex- hey! huffman! have you seen the outrider?" veritas stopped the man, shouting over the wind, and he pointed in the direction of the fountain.
"last i saw her!" he cried, running as he spoke. "escorting a traveler, from what i heard!"
"thank you!" she shouted after him as he sprinted away from her, holding a thumbs up behind his back as he disappeared into the churning dust agitated by the ferocious winds.
"amber!" veritas stumbled as the wind fought against her and she slipped down an alleyway into the fountain plaza. "amber!" she repeated, louder this time as she made out two figures... three figures sprinting towards her.
"ver! is that you?" a voice responded.
"who's ver?" a high pitched voice screeched.
"amber!" veritas reached out for amber's arm, and amber immediately began to pull her along with her.
"no time for waiting! let's find the rest of the knights." amber shouted. "oh! and this is aether. he's a traveler in mondstadt. aether, this is the knights' captain of civil affairs, captain veritas. you know, she might just be the person you need to help you find your- aether!" she screamed as aether's foot was snatched up by one of the many tornadoes.
"go!" veritas cried, grabbing hold of aether's wrist and digging her heels into the floor, clutching a support beam of the food market behind her. "find the knights!"
hesitantly, with panic in her eyes, amber turned and fled.
aether looked down at veritas, his eyes wide and frightened.
"i can't hold you much longer!" veritas shouted. "can you bring your other hand down?"
he could not. the winds seemed intent on taking the blond boy with them.
veritas strained once more, a conflicted grimace on her face. aether's palm was sweaty and his grip was loosening fast. she grunted frustratedly as his hand left hers and he went somersaulting away, grasping at thin air.
as she watched his body disappear into the tornado, spiralling upwards, she gritted her teeth together determinedly.
"okay," she breathed heavily outwards. "i'm not out of practice. it's only been a couple hundred years... maybe more."
checking around her for onlookers and after beign sure that there were none, veritas' form shrunk considerably, feathers shooting from her biceps and forearms. her head shrunk and her nose elongated and hardened, and the falcon of the west dived into the vicious tornado.
the falcon took off high above the clouds, and came face to face with the traveler once again.
"woah! what is that?" a high-pitched voice asked, and the falcon spotted a small, child-like creature dressed in white tumbling through the sky with some kind of stellar magic.
"my name is zepar. i'm the falcon of the west. i'm going to help you." the falcon spoke in its most demure tone, so it wasn't likened to the voice it used as a human and mortal.
"what the-"
"ah, lady zepar. nice of you to make an appearance." a familiar voice said.
"v- my lord!" the falcon exclaimed. "of course. it is my duty to protect the people of mondstadt. and... its visitors. now, traveller, do you see the poison on the dragon's back?"
aether squinted, then nodded. "yes, i... i think so."
"use the power of a thousand winds to destroy it!" the voice commanded. "you have to extract the poison, it's what's making him this way!"
"uh-"
"what are you waiting for?" the falcon said impatiently. "go!"
YOU ARE READING
fidelity || gi
Fanfiction"until next time, friends." baal nodded, smiling widely. beelzebul bowed her head politely at the three individuals remaining in the room, and with a flash of lightning, they were gone. "until next time, morax!" zepar was the next to rise, pulling b...
